US pressure on Myanmar for Rohingya repatriation continues

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick has stressed the importance of pressuring Myanmar for safe and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingya refugees, who fled their homes due to the military crackdown carried out in the Rakhine state.

"We are grateful to the Bangladesh government for giving asylum to more than 1.1 million Rohingyas, and we are always prepared to provide necessary support to resolve this pressing issue," Glick said while talking to reporters after her visit to the camps in Ramu, Cox’s Bazar on Thursday (Nov 7) afternoon.

She was on an official visit to check on the condition of the locals affected by the Rohingya refugees, the overall sanitation condition in the region, and the ever-increasing rate of human trafficking.

Bangladeshis are at great risk of being targeted by human traffickers, said USAID Deputy Administrator.

The risk is even higher at the Teknaf-Ukhia border because of the large number of Rohingyas there, she said.

Bangladesh received a Tier 2 ranking in the international human trafficking index.

The government must work hard to prevent human trafficking, and if the situation does not improve, US aid might be stopped, she warned.

The US is continually pressuring Myanmar for the safe repatriation of the Rohingyas and taking necessary steps to reduce the distress faced by the locals, added Glick.

A seven-member delegate team discussed the human trafficking situation in the Rohingya camps with Young Power in Social Action (YPSA), a non-profit social development organization, under the leadership of Bonnie Glick. They also talked with the human trafficking victims there.

Later, they went to Rajarkul in Ramu upazila where they conversed with the Rohingyas and the locals who were affected by their immigration.

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